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Amid the Congress leadership issue surfacing again in the public domain, KPCC president and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar’s visit to Delhi on Sunday is being keenly watched. He is scheduled to meet Central leaders, whom he is expected to brief about the recent developments in the party and the government. Mr. Shivakumar is expected to invite Central leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, to the foundation stone laying ceremony for 100 Congress Bhavans in the State scheduled to be held in November. During the meeting, the recent political events in the State are also expected to figure prominently. Besides, the discussion could revolve around the change of leadership, sources indicated. The Chief Minister is also expected to travel to Delhi to meet leaders after the second week of November. After a lull in the public discourse on the post of Chief Minister, the debate was again ignited by MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah, son of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, by indicating Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi as the successor to Mr. Siddaramaiah. Though, subsequently, Dr. Yathindra and the Chief Minister have clarified that Mr. Jharkiholi, a Nayaka community leader from Belagavi, is being seen as a successor to Mr. Siddaramiah’s ideology and ideological base of Ahinda, the statement seems have created unrest among the leaders. “After K.N. Rajanna’s episode, the leadership discussion had taken a backseat. Dr. Yathindra’s statement has not only brought back the discussion to the forefront, it has given enough fodder to the Opposition. Mr. Shivakumar as KPCC president will also discuss the issue of indiscipline with the Central leaders,” a source close to the Deputy Chief Minister said. The Central leaders would have also received inputs on these developments and will be assessing the situation independently, they maintained. The source also exuded confidence that the “November revolution” over the leadership in the State is expected to take shape soon after the completion of Bihar polls in the second week of November, and that Dr. Yathindra’s statement is connected to the leadership tussle. By November, the Chief Minister would have completed two-and-a-half years in office. The source pointed out to a purported agreement over sharing of power between Mr. Siddaramaiah and Mr. Shivakumar for two-and-a-half years each which has been rejected in public by the Chief Minister as a ‘figment of imagination’. While the Congress leaders are anticipating escalation of the political battle between the camps of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, another senior leader said that Dr. Yathindra’s statement could have riled other senior leaders in the Chief Minister’s circle who were entertaining hopes of an opportunity. Not only has the leadership issue cropped up again, but also the possible Cabinet reshuffle is also being spoken about causing jitters among many, the leader said. Meanwhile, Mr. Shivakumar told reporters that there has been an instruction from the High Command before, and that the Chief Minister will respond to it.
